Of Country Clubs and Nightclubs
by asteristar
Summary: He's been distant with her lately. But if he weren't the one avoiding contact, she would be. She wonders how long this will last. BB Oneshot Part 1 of Of Booth and Brennan
1. Brennan

Of Country Clubs and Nightclubs

Summary: He's been distant with her lately. But if he weren't the one avoiding contact, she would be. She wonders how much longer this will last. OneShot.

* * *

She's worried about him. She's taken the privilege of watching him all day – and it _is_ a privilege – and yet she can't find anything wrong with him. Except that he's called her Temperance seven times in the past day and only called her Bones once. Not that she's counting. 

It feels odd for her, worrying like this over something so small. So he's started to call her Temperance. Big deal. She closes her eyes and sighs lightly. She can't lie to herself – it is a big deal. She hates to admit it, but she's become fond of his nickname for her. And it's only his, because she's viciously eviscerated anyone else who's dared to call her Bones. But when it comes to him, she can't quite find the heart to come down as hard on him as she does on everyone else. He's her weakness, and it scares her.

_The country club is dim and the music is playing, the beat thumping with her heart. She's nervous, sitting there in the black SUV next to him as they wait for the dinner to start. He's dressed in a black suit, combined with a black open collar shirt, and his hair is slightly spiked. She glances over at him and can't help thinking that he looks ridiculously Mafia-esque. She tells him so and he laughs._

_"You don't look too bad yourself, Bones," he replies. She opens her mouth to tell him it wasn't a compliment, but he gives her a look and she lets it go._

_She's dressed in a blue dress that's too short for her to have picked out herself. It does, however, manage to be tasteful and daring at the same time. The pair of them look fitting for the semi-formal event going on inside the club. They're looking for the parents of a young girl, one who is a suspect in one of their cases. Booth, as usual, had insisted on getting family background and, suddenly, he'd decided that they were off to the charity dinner._

_She'd put up the requisite fuss, but she hadn't actually minded. Things had been changing between her and Booth in the past few weeks. She figured that this little undercover thing they were doing right now would be a nice little break from all the thinking that she was required to do just to get through a day without revealing too much._

_They got out of the car and moved towards the large hall together. There's about a two-foot gap between them, but to her it feels like more. He's been distant with her lately, rarely looking at her, and when he does look at her, he always stares a point just above her left eyebrow. She can't blame him – if he weren't the one avoiding real contact, she would be._

_The dinner is stuffy and dull, and she asks him when they can leave under her breath almost every other minute. There's dancing going on in the center of the room, and while she would love to get up and move around, but she knows dancing's out of the question for them._

_The rest of dinner is spent in an uncomfortable silence. They speak only when they have to, and when they do their voices and quiet yet curt. She wonders how much longer this will last._

So why, she asks herself, is she so annoyed about him calling her by her full name? She's been lobbying for this ever since she met him. She decides that all this thinking is doing her no good and sits back in her office chair, making a tent out of her fingers and resting her chin on the tip of them. She uses the heel of her shoe to push off from the file cabinet and spins the swivel chair in a circle. It's a nervous tic that, while relieves her stress, makes her completely dizzy.

"Temperance?" a voice asks. She spins the chair so she's facing the speaker, and has to pause for a moment to focus her vision. The speaker is, in fact, Booth, and she frowns slightly.

"Yes?" Her voice is colder than is necessary, and she's not sure that she could pinpoint an exact reason why she's so angry with him. There are a number of possible explanations, but she's not sure that she wants to go into that right about now.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asks softly, eyes downcast. She can tell that he's nervous and she pities him. Whatever he wants to talk about, it must be serious. Well, he can wait. She has better things to talk about.

"Only if you let me talk first," she answers. He nods slightly, acknowledging her demand and telling her to proceed in one gesture. "Why don't you call me Bones anymore?" she asks.

He frowns. "You don't like it when I do."

"How do you know that?" she fires back, eyes blazing. "How do you know that I don't secretly enjoy that you have a nickname for me that no one else calls me? How do you know what I'm thinking?"

He flinches at her harsh commentary, but she can tell he's surprised at her.

"You feel that way?" he asks her quickly, before she has a chance to back out of what she's said. She nods, rather than say anything that could betray the things she's been feeling about him for the past few weeks.

_It's another one of these charity functions, but this time it's full of young people and the music is much faster now. She and Booth are here together, undercover once again for a reason so complicated she can find no words to explain it. She's dressed in a black halter-top, tight jeans, and black heels, an ensemble that could only have been chosen by Angela. Booth, in turn, is dressed in another of his black shirts and a well-fitting pair of jeans. He looks perfectly comfortable, while she occasionally has trouble walking._

_Things have changed a bit since they last did something like this. A late night yelling session had released most of their inhibitions with each other, and as they move towards the high-end nightclub, Booth's hand rests lightly on the small of her back and she's smiling for no apparent reason._

_They enter the club and Booth's hand still hasn't moved from its position on her back. She's finding that she doesn't mind, and while she thinks that it's supposed to scare her, she's not surprised that it doesn't. The club is crowded and the music is too loud, but she can feel the pulse of the beat rushing through her. She's feeling brave and decisive and better than she's ever felt before._

_This time, dancing is not out of the question and she takes advantage of it, grabbing Booth's hand from her back and pulling him onto the dance floor. He's surprised and tells her that, but she waves it off, telling him that the heels are doing something to her. He shrugs and, to her astonishment, pulls her further into the crowd on the floor._

_They're closer now then they ever have been before, but for some reason it seems natural. The song is fast, and if it weren't for Booth's steadying hand on her elbow, she would fall over. Their faces are dangerously close and she can feel his breath on her lips. She smiles a little and he grins, leaning his head a little nearer to hers. He leans his forehead against hers and as the song speeds up, she feels a boost of courage._

_She looks up at him and he slowly lowers his head. For a moment, their lips meet. She's flying and the world fades into the background and all she can feel is him and the way his mouth feels against hers and then she comes crashing back down. His lips are gone from hers and she can't escape the emptiness that seems to fill her. They're dancing again, like nothing's happened, and she can't help but wonder if it was all part of the act._

An awkward silence fills the room, and she decides to break it before he does.

"I don't mind you calling me Bones, Seely," she says under her breath, though she knows he hears her.

"Seely?" he questions, unfamiliar with the way his name sounds when she says it, and she nods, smiling a little.

"If you're going to call me Temperance," she tells him, "then I get to call you Seely. Fair is fair." He smiles, and she decides it's his turn now. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He crosses the room to go behind the desk and offers her a hand, which she takes carefully. He pulls her up, but doesn't move away like she expects him to.

"Well," he begins slowly, "I wanted to talk to you about a certain thing I like to call dancing." She tilts her head to one side, utterly confused. "And nightclubbing," he continues. "And a little thing I like to call what-happens-when-you-combine-them-with-Temperance."

She laughs. "What do you mean?"

He gets a serious look on his face and she wonders at the solemnity found in his eyes. But there's a spark of joy and a light that she's never seen in him before.

All of the sudden, his lips are pressed up against hers and her eyes are fluttering closed. She wraps her arms around his neck as his hands come to rest on her hips. She's flying again and never wants things to change. He pulls away for a moment, and she opens her eyes.

"That first time," he whispers. "It wasn't a fluke thing, or a mistake. I wanted it to happen."

She grins widely, her eyes sparkling with a newfound vitality that lights up her entire face. "Me too," she assures him. "Me, too."

He pulls her into another kiss, a deeper and more heartfelt one than any she'd experienced. As she breaks away, he wraps his arms around her in a hug and she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Don't let this change," he murmurs in her ear. "Don't ever let this change."

_**fin **_


	2. Booth

Of Country Clubs and Nightclubs (Booth POV)

A/N: This is the second chapter of Of Country Clubs and Nightclubs. It's the same events, just in Booth's POV.

* * *

He paces back and forth across the floor of his office. Ten steps each way, a square cell he's trapped in, walled in by files and coffee mugs. Agitation fills him, causing him to alternately shove his hands into his pockets or run his fingers distractedly through his hair. A case file lies open yet forgotten on his desk as his thoughts focus on a certain forensic anthropologist. He's feeling a little guilty for ignoring the file, one that he would usually pursue passionately, but he knows that as long as there's this weight on him, focusing is no use. The unease between himself and Bones has been unbearable lately. 

He stops in his pacing, staring at the door unseeingly. He has to see her. Talking is the only thing that can solve what's going on with them, not this avoidance they're currently engaged in. And a new case gives him a valid reason to go see her. Yes, that'll solve anything. He grabs his car keys from the desk and heads out of the door.

The drive is too long, and as he maneuvers the car through the traffic, his mind drifts back and suddenly he's remembering.

_They're sitting in the black SUV watching the country club guests arrive. She is sitting next to him, looking decidedly uncomfortable in her blue dress. He smiles to himself as he remembers how she looked as she opened the door to her house to greet him. She had seemed nervous then, and to keep his control, he had fixed his stare on his shoes and had managed to be courteous yet distant since._

_She thinks they're here to get background information, and while that is partially true, he simply wants to see how she deals with parties like these and a situation like theirs. He's caught up in watching her, so as she makes some comment about his appearance, all he can do is laugh and hope that is was something funny. He compliments her casually in return, hoping it fits with what she said. She opens her mouth to say something but he gives her a look, and he can almost hear her thinking as she closes her mouth. She's thinking about them. He can tell from the way she's suddenly self-conscious, and he sympathizes. He wishes he could say something, but he's always the one who takes the initiative. This time, it's her turn._

_They go into the country club, and the distance between them seems too far. The dancing in the room looks appealing, but if she doesn't ask, then he won't either. By the time they leave, he's wondering how far they won't go._

The Jeffersonian looms in front of him and he parks quickly. The security guard knows him by now and waves him in with a jovial smile. He nods to the man and climbs the stairs quickly. She's not in the lab, so he changes his course and goes to her office. His mind is not entirely made up about what he's planning to do. He doesn't want to scare her, telling her the deepest secrets of his heart, but that's how it's got to be. He smiles sarcastically to himself. Deepest secret? Now he sounds like some drama queen. If she knew what he was thinking, he'd be so dead.

He mentally slaps himself. He's stalling, thinking of anything that would keep him from going into that office. But he has to. He climbs the last flight of stairs to her office and stops a few paces away. The walls of her office are clear glass and he watches her carefully. She spins her office chair around in a circle, fingers forming a tent as she thinks. He moves to the doorway of her office and leans on it casually.

"Temperance?" he asks. She steadies herself and her eyes focus on his. She frowns slightly and he winces inwardly. She's not in a good mood. That does not bode well for him at all.

"Yes?" she answers, and his insecurity deepens. Yeah, he's really not sure about this. This is making him really nervous. She's angry, he can tell. And he thinks he knows why. But then again, she's always been one to surprise him.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" he asks quietly, focusing on the floor. Talking to her while she's angry, though something he does often, is quite daunting.

"Only if you let me talk first," she answers. He nods slightly, glad to let her go first. Anything that will give him time to regain his confidence. "Why don't you call me Bones anymore?" she asks bluntly.

He frowns. That's it? That's all she wants to know? This might be easier than he thought it would be. "You don't like it when I do," he answers as if stating the obvious.

"How do you know that? How do you know that I don't secretly enjoy that you have a nickname for me that no one else calls me? How do you know what I'm thinking?" she fires back.

He flinches. None of that has ever crossed his mind, but he's happy that how she feels. "You feel that way?" he asks quickly, hoping to catch her before she can back out of what she's begun. He doesn't want to turn back, not now, not ever. His heart soars as she nods and it brings him back to another part of the reason he's here.

_He stands next to her as she fixes her hair in the side mirror of the SUV, impatiently shifting back and forth from one foot to another. The charity function has already started and she's making them late. She laughs under her breath and joins him as they move towards the nightclub. Things are different, this time. She had taken the step about a week ago, releasing her inhibitions in a loud argument that she had instigated. He feels comfortable now, resting his hand lightly on the small of her back. He half expects her to shy away, but is surprised when she leans into him. He can't help but smile as he glances in her direction. She's smiling, too._

_They enter the nightclub and he catches himself staring as she takes in the outfit she's wearing. The black halter-top dips low in the back and her jeans fit her tightly. The heels she's wearing make her tall enough so that the top of her head comes to just above his chin. _

_He feels astonishment course through him as she smiles flirtatiously at him and pulls him onto the dance floor. He grins and leads her further into the crowd. She's not a bad dancer, he realizes, but her heels are leaving her a little unstable. He reaches out to steady her, his hand resting on her elbow, and she seems grateful for his help. She laughs softly in his ear as he pulls her out of the way of some over enthusiastic dancers._

_Her eyes catch his and he's drowning in their crystal depths. He leans forward, forehead pressed against hers. He's afraid to do anything else, but as she looks up at him his fear disappears and his world is shattering and nothing else could ever matter._

_He presses his lips to hers and he's too complete to ever feel any other way again. He's afraid to go too far with this so he pulls away and continues dancing, hoping she'll be content to do the same. For a second she looks sad at the loss of contact, but as it disappears, he convinces himself it was a trick played on him by his mind._

The silence filling the room has him paralyzed, and she speaks when she recognizes that he is unable to.

"I don't mind you calling me Bones, Seely," she says, and he figures that he's supposed to be startled, but he isn't.

His name sounds unfamiliar in her voice, but it sounds wonderfully strange. "Seely?" he repeats, a quirky smile on his face. He's eager to see the way she reacts.

"If you're going to call me Temperance," she tells him, "then I get to call you Seely. Fair is fair." He laughs. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He takes the opportunity she gives him and crosses the room to stand behind her desk. He offers her his hand and she takes it, smiling as he pulls her up. He can tell that she expects him to move away, and just to throw her, he doesn't, standing well within her personal space.

"Well," he says leisurely, "I wanted to talk you about a certain thing I like to call dancing." He grins as she frowns confusedly. "And nightclubbing," he continues, "and a certain little thing I like to call what-happens-when-you-combine-them-with-Temperance."

He delights in the fact that he can make her smile, his heart leaping at the sound of her gentle laughter.

"What do you mean?" she asks him, and his expression sobers. Their eyes meet and he can't think straight anymore.

He leans forward and kisses her, his hands coming to rest on her hips. He feels her arms drape around his neck and he can't imagine living any other way. He pulls away for a second, feeling the need to clarify something lest she get any of the wrong ideas.

"That first time," he whispers in her ear. "It wasn't a fluke thing, or a mistake. I wanted it to happen."

He smiles as she grins widely, admiring the inner joy that lights her eyes.

"Me too," she assures him. "Me, too."

He pulls her in for another kiss, holding her closer and enjoying every second of it. She breaks away slightly, smiling against his mouth, and he wraps his arms around her in an embrace as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Don't let this change," he murmurs in her ear. "Don't ever let this change."

_**fin**_


End file.
